Archytas lu par Simplicius. Un art de la conciliation

Intent upon harmonizing doctrines of their predecessors, some Neoplatonic com- mentators are faced with a problem of resolving doctrinal discrepancies so as to restore the συμφωνία in the history of philosophy. This article considers a parti- cular example of this attempt ats harmonization: how Simplicius reconciles Aris- totle’s Categories with the Neopythagorean doctrine of the Pseudo-Archytas. The chronological inversion introduced by the counterfeiter produces remarkable effects on the late Platonic doctrine about general terms, to the extent that a commentator such as Simplicius works to reduce the dissonance between Archytas’ and Aristotle’s words.
This paper has three aims: to restore the general grid that Simplicius uses for reading and commenting on Archytas through Aristotle; to identify the exegeti- cal strategies aimed at a doctrinal reconciliation; to consider a specific case, pro- vided by the doctrine of weight, which engenders a new physical theory by Simplicius.